This change where I started finding joy in sharing came more recently. I found that sharing of thoughts and information with other readers of books was also pleasurable. This pleasure was also of different kind. When you start sharing, you are not just repeating the words that you have read in the book, but you are sharing what you have understood in your own words. In a way you take the role of an author who is creating a new story that may be very closer to what you have read but it is inherently your own version of it. I guess that makes it more pleasurable.

Another aspect of sharing is finding those other readers who may have understood it in same or different way. In this way a small thought evolves in different ways and takes on multiple shapes and can give rise to many new thoughts as well. When I share books with somebody, I am never talking about a single book. My thoughts are a mix of multiple books that I might have read thereby creating some unique combinations that I myself could not realize until I started sharing.

I wonder whether someday I will discover the joy of writing as well.

The book is a story of miniaturists in 16th century Istanbul one of whom is murdered in the beginning of the story. The story goes on for nine days where one more murder takes place and then many characters are trying to find the murderer. The investigation of murder is a study in the history of miniature paintings throughout the history since other miniaturists are trying to find the signature style of the murderer through many paintings. The story is also a rich source of information about lifestyle, society, politics and family life of that time. You are transported to 1591 in Istanbul. There are also some interesting references of Mughal King Akbar in the story.

Most important part of the book is the narrative style. The story is narrated from point of view of different characters in different point of time. The story does not go back and forth in time but effortlessly move with the narration of each character. Sometimes, the author have used very different type of narrators like a dead man, color red, dog and coin. It was amazing to read the story from perspective of color red and coin. Author has also tried to describe the experience of dead men and what happens after death to soul and body.

The murderer narrates his part of story with two faces, sometimes as murderer and sometimes disguised as fellow miniaturist and readers are provoked to figure out who amongst them is the murderer. Overall, a great book though it could have been shorter in length.